Blog posts with the tag "Deployment"

Guest Perspective: Making it Work - One Deployment at a Time

By  on 17.01.2017 12:07 pm

Many years ago, I just had one name and one role.  I was Katie.  That’s who I was, and that was all.  Throughout this journey of life, I have adopted and adapted to other names and other roles.  I have been Airman, Miss, and teacher.  About ten years ago, I became wife.  That was a major role change on its own, but I added “military wife” to it as well.  Having been a military member myself, the military lifestyle wasn’t so hard to adapt to until I added my next name, Mama. 

Staff Perspective: Downrange Comedy – Humor in Deployed Settings (Part 2)

By Matthew Sacks  on 29.06.2016 12:17 pm
Matthew Sacks, Ph.D.

Welcome back to our discussion of humor and comedy in deployed locations.  Last time I interviewed comedian Kathleen Madigan about her USO performances over the years.  In this part, I will speak with comedian Roy Wood, Jr. and former Army Specialist Michael Dillon about their experiences with comedy performances downrange.

Staff Perspective: Downrange Comedy – Humor in Deployed Settings

By Matthew Sacks  on 01.06.2016 12:23 pm
Matthew Sacks, Ph.D.

I’ve always loved comedy and gravitated towards individuals with humor and quick wit, whether in a friend, colleague, or comedian.  I find that comedy and humor can be base, but in other moments incredibly stimulating intellectually and even emotionally powerful.  Comedy can make connections between ideas and subjects that are seemingly unconnectable, it can short-circuit the brain into confusion and epiphany in a singular moment of time, dousing our brains with dopamine and contorting our bodies with intense laughter. 

Guest Perspective: Deployment, Mental Health Conditions and Psychotropic Medications – Good to Go?

By James C. West  on 19.04.2016 12:32 pm

Although the pace of deployment has decreased in recent years, military members continue to deploy to combat zones and other areas around the globe.  Behavioral health providers who serve a military population are well aware of the ebbs and flows of stresses on military members and their families around deployment cycles.  Modern evidence-based care includes use of appropriate psychotherapies and medications to treat major depressive disorder, PTSD, and other deployment-related conditions.  In addition to providing good care, it is important to consider the compatibility of treatments with future deployments.  The following article will discuss the concepts of deployment-limiting conditions and the impact of psychotropic medications on deploy ability.

Staff Perspective: Decreasing Risk Aversion in Service Members Who Have Deployed

By Anthony McCormick  on 20.01.2016 1:22 pm

If you spend any time talking candidly with a Veteran or active duty Service member who has deployed during recent military campaigns, you will shortly determine that they are generally hypervigilant and risk averse.  As a clinical psychologist working with Service members and Veterans who have deployed in support of OIF, OEF, etc., I continue to realize anecdotal interventions to help address and decrease the negative impact and/or influence of disruptive post-deployment adjustment issues resulting from deployment experiences (to include trauma experiences).  This blog entry will address “risk aversion” (i.e., the post-deployed service member’s or veteran’s tendency to avoid things that, from their perspective, might put their safety or security at risk such as being in crowds, not having control of a situation, going places without plan, etc…).  This “protective” avoidance is extended to the Service member or Veteran’s family and/or loved ones and consequently, has a significant impact on their lives as well. 

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